The Surgeon gave him very good odds at a full recovery, so we had the surgery that afternoon, and he has come through it fairly well… though it will take months for him to recover fully. He is home now and resting comfortably, however at this point he is on a considerable amount of pain medications. Those who know my husband & I well know that our dogs are very much members of our family, and so it absolutely breaks our hearts to see him like this. We have a long road to recovery ahead of us, but there is nothing that we wouldn’t do for this sweet French Bulldog of ours.

We have been doing some fundraising to help raise the money for his $7,000 surgery & hospital stay (ouch!) and we’ve been absolutely blown away by the kindness & generosity of strangers. Within the first 24 hours of the fundraising efforts, we had $3,500 generously donated by friends, family and even perfect strangers. We of course know how special Oslo is, but it has taken us completely by surprise that so many of YOU know how special he is as well.

If you would like to know more about Oslo & follow his progress, please visit his blog HERE. I will continue to update throughout his entire (lengthy) recovery process.

I started looking a few weeks ago and really hadn’t found anything amazing. Everything that I really loved was so expensive (like, $800+ YIKES)… That price range is completely out of the question, but so was buying a bike that I didn’t totally want to make sweet-tender-bike-love to.

The problem is that I have pretty specific tastes. & requirements.

European ‘Upright’ Riding style.Ladies/Step through Frame.
Neutral Tan/White/Pearl/light teal colour.
Chain guard, fenders
Will look AMAZING with a basket.
Fairly light & swift– no heavy cruisers.
Under $500.

Yesterday after work, on a whim, I went back into a bike store that I had already been in twice before. The previous times I’d been in, I was short on time & couldn’t really take my time to look & ask questions. This time, however, I walked in and took a loop around their central/main rack… And then I saw it.

My bike.

I knew she was mine the second I saw her. It was love at first sight. With the quick additions of a basket & kickstand she was good to go. I have named her ‘Sprite’ (chosen uncreatively because she is a Raleigh Sprite) She is so lovely.

I took her on her inaugural ride today… The sun was shining & it was the perfect day for a slow, easy cruise along the SeaWall. I was reminded (as I am every single day by one thing or another) of how beautiful my hometown is, and how lucky I am to be a Vancouverite.

I just had to share a photo that was snapped that day, just as we wrapped up the Newborn Shoot. I don’t often post photos of myself in here, but I thought that this image was just too precious not to share.

If I wasn’t suffering from ‘Baby Fever’ before, I CERTAINLY am now!

]]> http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/baby-fever/feed/ 1 tamara lakeman photography Nova http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/floor-obsession/ http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/floor-obsession/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:42:34 +0000 tamara lakeman photography http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/?p=384 Continue reading →]]> I am having a love-hate relationship with my gorgeous, super-dark, incredible hardwood floors….

Love-  They’re dark brown-almost black.

Hate- They show EVERY bit of dirt, dog-hair & sweaty-foot print.

Since moving in here I have been struggling to maintain a sense of sanity & balance when it comes to this friggen floor. One one hand, I want to be able to let go, enjoy them, not worry so much, what will be-will be, who cares if the floors are a bit dirty- your Mom will still love you…. On the other hand, I HATE DIRTY FLOORS SO @%#$ING MUUUUUUUCH!!!! I have laid awake at night more times than I care to admit contemplating these floors, brainstorming ways to keep them clean & shiny, and generally just obsessing.

“Don’t blame us, Mom!”

I’ve had many people recommend different products & tools….. I’d LOVE to get a Dyson but I’d have to prostitute myself in order to afford one, and I don’t think my husband would be keen. I’ve also heard good things about the Shark Steam Mop but since I already OWN a steam mop that is fully functional I can’t quite warrant buying a new one. Besides, I think I’ve found a cleaning routine that works… Of course, having 2 dogs automatically means that my floors don’t stay clean for long.. But well, that’s life with dogs. There’s just no way around it.

So, let me introduce you to my team,

Before:

After:

The problem I have run into is how FREQUENTLY I want to clean my floor, vs How often I really should. I’m learning that hardwood is quite delicate and over cleaning (specifically, over mopping/using cleaning products) can actually be quite harmful. I’m trying to limit myself to one daily vacuum/sweep with the dry, microfiber mop, a damp mop with the Method ‘Squirt & Mop’ every 3 days… and no more than once a week, going over with the steam mop… *sigh*

What is your cleaning regime for your floors? Any product recommendations for dark floors like mine? I’d like them to be SHINIER but I don’t want to use anything that will damage the floors or is too toxic for our doggies.

]]> http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/floor-obsession/feed/ 3 tamara lakeman photography culprits! clean team! before after http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/big-changes/ http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/big-changes/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:11:32 +0000 tamara lakeman photography http://happylittlehousewife.wordpress.com/?p=379 Continue reading →]]> It’s been a long while since I’ve posted. I apologize. Life has been busy & some pretty HUGE changes have taken place. Namely- my husband & I (and our 2 dogs) moved from San Francisco back to my home-town of Vancouver, Canada. The move was pretty sudden, and with just a month to prepare/pack/come to terms with it, life got very busy. In the middle of that month, I also spent a week in Europe visiting a dear friend of mine & being a tourist. It was an amazing trip even though it came at a VERY busy & stressful time.

We have been in Vancouver for a month now and things are only just settling down into some sort of routine. Now that I am settled I’d like to start blogging again!

On May 14th we packed our entire lives into a small UHaul Truck and made the 2 ½ day road-trip north. Fortunately the entire drive was uneventful, the dogs were well behaved, and my husband & I didn’t kill each other (Hey, being trapped in the small cab of a UHaul for 2.5 days could drive even the most loving of couples to murder).

We stayed in a temporary apartment for the first 2 weeks in Vancouver until we were able to find a permanent apartment. We got VERY lucky and secured the 2nd place that we looked at– A gorgeous 2 bedroom, 850 sq/f, brand new condo in Vancouver’s ‘Olympic Village‘. It’s perfect for us and perfect for our dogs– we’re very happy here!

The new kitchen is gorgeous. The floors are fabulous. The ceilings are high. There’s a washer & dryer in-suite. The bathtub is large enough to fit my 5’8 ½” frame… What more could a OCD-domestic-goddess ask for?

Now that we’re settled, I will try to blog more often! Please check back in the weeks to come. xoxo

I was in the mood to bake something and I had 4 over-ripe bananas sitting in my fruit bowl. What to bake? Banana Muffins/Bread– obviously. Now, let me come right out and say that I basically… scrounged up the recipe for this. Here’s how my thought process went as soon as I had decided that I was making Banana Muffins.

“Right. So I’ll add chocolate chips, because everything is made better with chocolate chips… And what else.. Oh- look.. a bag of Hazelnuts. How could I add those… Put them IN the muffins? Bleeeeck- no. Gross. Put them… ON the muffins? Make a crumble with them?! YES YES YES!”

Thanks to Allrecipes.com for the Banana Bread Recipe which I used as a base for my creation.

Crumble Topping:

¾ cup roasted, peeled & finely chopped hazelnuts.

2 tablespoons butter.

3 tablespoons brown sugar.

1 tablespoon flour.

- Mix nuts & other ingredients together until finely crumbly. Set aside.

Muffins:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture  & add chocolate chips; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan. DO NOT OVER MIX!
3. Sprinkle ‘crumble’ mixture generously over each muffin.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out relatively clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Dear ‘Downy-Ball’,

I fear our relationship must come to an end.

Too many times have I opened a finished load of washing to discover that you didn’t open as you were supposed to in the ‘rinse cycle’. Instead you open and spread your downy-liquid-fabric-softener contents just as I am trying to pull my CLEAN laundry from the machine, forcing me to re-wash the entire load.

At first I thought that the problem was with me. Perhaps I was putting too much laundry in the wash. Perhaps you were crowded in the basin and unable to open at the appropriate time. So I tried several times to cut my load size in half with the hopes that this extra space would allow you to preform adequately. Unfortunately, you have continued to let me down.

I can’t tell you how disappointed this makes me. You have been a cherished member of my laundry-team for several years but I have simply been betrayed by you too many times.

You are no longer welcome in my washing machine or my laundry room.

-Tamara

I generally avoid talking about my ‘work’ here on Happy Housewife (that’s what my work blog is for, after all) but these recent changes are fun and worth mentioning… After 3 years of doing Photography ‘casually, on the side’ I have finally decided to take it to the next level and move into a studio! I found a great space & team of fellow photographers to collaborate with, and share the space with. I am blissfully excited to see what the next step in my career looks like.

I hope that my kick ass new space brings in lots of cuddly newborns, silly toddlers, loving families and eager, genuine smiles.

If you are ever in ‘The Bay Area’ and want to check me out, you should stop by!

I made pumpkin pie today… for the first time ever.

For years I had it in my head that making pumpkin pie ‘from scratch’ would be hard… Probably because every singe pot-luck I have ever been to, where someone brings a ‘Pumpkin pie that they made from scratch’, everyone oohs & aahs over it like it’s a culinary feat. Surely these things must be complicated and time consuming! And well… while ‘So & So’s Great Aunt’ might have the time for that sort of stuff, my thoughts on the issue have always been, “Why make it from scratch if you can buy it from Safeway for $9.99?” ::fist bump::.

However, recently I started thinking about maybe trying it… I figured, that at the very least it could make for a funny blog posting. Besides, my husband will eat basically anything and compliment me on it.

So. I got to work. First, I did what anyone in my position would do– I called my Mom and asked her advice. She was ripe with words of wisdom, and seemed pretty excited that I was calling her (let’s face it… all Mothers dream about the day that their adult daughter will call asking for old family recipes and baking tips. It’s basically what they live for). Then, I did some good old fashioned internet research. Eventually, I felt well equipt, and so the process began.

It started with a organic ‘sugar pumpkin’, which I sliced in half, gutted and roasted in my oven (sliced side down) for 45 minutes.

Let the pumpkin cool.. and then, using a spoon, scoop out all the ‘flesh’ & set aside. Next, you need to ‘drain’ the flesh/goop so that your pie doesn’t turn out soggy. I took handfuls of the stuff and squeezed as much of the excess fluid out as I could. (Some of my internet research suggested that I let the stuff sit in a sieve overnight to drain. Do which I have one word: Please.)  When it was thoroughly squeezed of any excess pumpkin… juice.. I pureed the goop with my food processor until smooth.

Added cinnamon & nutmeg to the pumpkin… 2 eggs & a can of sweetened condensed milk. Mix that all together… and then poor into your awaiting pie crust. I am sure you could use other/more spices if you’d like.. but that’s up to you. (Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 400˚f).

Now. I WAS going to go a ‘from scratch’ pie crust… I even *made* the dough. But as I was rolling it out, I panicked that I was over handling it.. and because of that, the crust would turn out rock-solid and totally destroy the pie. So, at the very last minute I tossed out my crust dough and used a frozen, pre-made crust that I bought at the grocery store. (Why MAKE a pie shell from scratch when you can buy 2 for $4.99 :::fist bump:::)

Bake your pie for 40-45 minutes or so.. or until you can insert a knife into it and have it come out clean. Let cool before slicing. Serve with a butt-ton of whip cream and think to yourself:: ‘Screw you, So & So’s Great Aunt. You think you’re something pretty special because you make your pie from scratch, don’t you? Well, news flash old lady- I just did it, and it was EASY!”

…….. Then, enjoy cleaning up your kitchen.

I was very excited to find this new line of Indian Sauces by Maya Kaimal at Whole Foods, and even more excited to take it home and try it out.

The instructions couldn’t be easier. Chop some chicken (organic, free range preferably) into bite sized pieces and sautee on a pan until cooked. Then, add this sauce and let simmer (stirring occasionally) for about 10 minutes. You can serve it with rice & store bought na’an. (Or, save yourself the carbs and eat on it’s own.)

I was VERY impressed with how tasty this was. Really, truly. Initially, I was skeptical of ‘indian food from a jar’ and my expectations were quite low. But this was impressive! I’m anxious to go back to whole foods to try some other sauces in her line– namely, the coconut curry, tikka masala & korma. Way to kick ass, Maya Kaimal!